5 & 6 I
It’s Debatable
Too Young to Go Pro? STUDENT HANDBOOK, PAGE 16
Objectives: Students will read opposing viewpoints of a debate topic and take a side, supporting their positions with evidence from the text; identify key ideas and details. 1 Warm-up: Start a discussion with students about young athletes committing themselves to becoming professional athletes at a young age. • Ask students if they have heard the term “going pro.” Ask them to describe what it means. • How old does someone need to be to settle on a plan for his or her future? 2 Read: “Too Young to Go Pro?” First Read: You may read the article aloud; you may also ask students to read with partners or independently. After reading, ask students to identify the gist of the article. (The article contains opposing sides of the issue of whether athletes should become professional at a young age.) Second Read: Ask students to read with partners or independently. (You can always read aloud if that works best with your students.) Instruct students: As you read, highlight each side’s main argument, as well as the evidence presented to support that argument. After students finish reading, discuss what they found. (Grey Cohen says that kids shouldn’t commit at a young age to a particular activity to the exclusion of others; that could lead to burnout. Nicole Tofan argues that Olivia is in the enviable position of finding her passion early and that she should be allowed and encouraged to pursue it.) (Key ideas and details/evidence) 3 After Reading: Use these questions to check students’ understanding. You may wish to ask them to go back to the article to highlight where they found the answers. 1. How will Olivia’s pro contract affect her ability to play soccer in college? (Olivia will lose her eligibility to compete on National College Athletic Association teams.) 2. According to a Loyola University study, what are the downsides of young people specializing in just one sport? (They are 93 percent more likely to get injured than kids who play several sports. They are also less likely to be active as adults.) 3. How can having a plan for the future at an early age help teens with stress, according to Nicole? (It can lower the anxiety most teens face about deciding which classes, extracurricular activities, and college to choose.)
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